Under the Fur
by Bluewolfbat
Summary: In Zootopia, Nick Wilde was always the charming, sneaky, troublesome fox, regardless if he was a police officer, or selling Pawpsicles. But when certain moments trigger bad memories for Nick, Judy tries to help him. Only to find out some memories are hard to let go of.
1. Parking Duty and Questions

Chapter 1: Parking Duty and Questions

*I only own the ideas for the story. Zootopia characters, places, etc belong to Disney. Zootopia All Rights Reserved.*

Authors Note: This story is my version of what happened to Nick in his life before he was selling Pawpsicles. Please know that all ideas are fictional in this story. Also, fair warning, this story will get sad and scary sometimes as the story continues by chapter. But for now, enjoy the story.

Nick tossed and turned in his bed as memories of his childhood cane back into his head. When he had been humiliated at the Scouts meeting, and other moments if his life. It was awful! Especially the part with the muzzle. The bed sheets wrapped around his body as he tossed and turned, covering him in the bedding.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Nick yelled as he woke up from his nightmare. Sweat dropped down Nick's fur as he took deep breaths to calm down. Tears watered his eyes and he let them fall as he calmed down. The dreams he had were just terrible, and all Nick wanted to do was forget about them. Nick took some more deep breaths to make sure he was calm. Nick then looked around and realized that he was under his bed sheets. Nick struggled to get out, but he only managed to fall out of bed, tangled under the sheets.

"Ahhhhhhh! Help!" Nick said before he struggled some more and managed to get out of his bed sheets. Once that was done, he put his sheets back on the bed, and after his alarm clock went off, he turned the device off.

"Hopefully today will be better than my night..." Nick told himself as he got dressed into his police officer outfit. He then went downstairs, ate some breakfast, and drove to the Zootopia Police building. Good thing was, everyone was normal. Nick smiled as he went to get a coffee, hoping the drink would help settle his mind.

"Hi Nick!" Judy Hopps said as she joined him for a morning drink. Nick sighed.

"Hi Judy. Sorry I'm not as awake. I didn't have a good night's sleep," Nick briefly explained.

"No problem. Even I get those kind of nights," Judy replied as they sipped their coffee. Afterwards, they went to the Mission room to get their assignment for the day.

"Alright everyone, settle down! Now, let's get started..." Chief Bogo said while entering the room. Everyone went quiet as the Chief talked.

"First, I want to say that I hope all of you have a good two weeks break for our Spring Break while some construction is done. And second, if any situations happen, report to me as soon as possible!" Chief Bogo announced before getting out the paperwork. He went through all the mission reports, and finally got to Judy and Nick.

"Hopps, Wilde, I'm sorry, but with all the cases taken care of, you two get... Parking duty! Dismissed!" Chief Bogo said before exiting the room. Judy and Nick sighed; at least it was a simple job.

"My goodness! Some mammals don't know how to park!" Nick said as he put a ticket on a car's window wipers.

"I know, right?! I got two hundred tickets done! How about you?" Judy said while writing a ticket.

"I got one hundred fifty tickets. But at least this is ..." Nick said before reading the number on a meter. Twelve. Nick was confused.

"T-T-Twelve? Who parks their car for twelve hours?!" Nick said, staring at the meter.

"Hi...Nick..." A voice said next to the fox. Nick then noticed his friend Flash the sloth slowly walking by as Nick watched him and stopped looking at the meter. Luckily, the parking tickets went by smoothly, and as Judy and Nick went back to the station, they got the okay from Chief Bogo to help with a few more cases, and then we're dismissed for the day. Nick drove Judy to his place, and invited her in.

"After you," Nick commented, holding the door open for his friend.

"Thank you," Judy replied walking inside. Nick closed the door and the two of them went to get changed into their everyday clothes. The two mammals headed to Nick's kitchen where he got them some drinks.

"Do you want water or ice tea?" Nick asked, getting out some plastic cups.

"Ice tea please," Judy replied. Nick got Judy her drink and gave it to her. Once he got his drink, he joined her.

"Hey Nick. I was just thinking about this Spring Break, and I was thinking of introducing you to my parents..." Judy said politely. Nick quickly spit the ice tea he had been drinking out of shock, then took a breath.

"Yeah. That's fine, but isn't that dangerous?" Nick asked curiously.

"Well, they are going into business with a neighborhood fox we know, and they did see you when I awarded you as a police officer, so I hope they don't mind!" Judy commented, explaining her reason for her idea.

"Oh. Yes, that makes sense. When do we leave?" Nick replied.

"I was thinking two days after tomorrow. That way we make sure we have everything!" Judy suggested. Nick smiled.

"Alright! I agree. That's totally fine with me!" Nick responded. The rest of the night was normal, until Judy went back to her apartment, and they both went to bed.


	2. Judy's Family

Chapter 2: Judy's Family

The next day, Judy packed up her clothes and belongings. However, Judy decided to call her parents and give them a heads up. So, Judy grabbed her phone and called her parents. Her phone rang, and her parents answered her call.

"Hi Judy. How are you doing sweetie?" Judy's mom asked kindly.

"I'm doing well. Listen, I called because, you know that fox who I gave the badge to at the Academy?" Judy asked, not sure if they would remember.

"Yes we remember, I mean the memory is a little faded, but we still remember!" Bonnie said.

"Well, Chief Bogo said that the officers have Spring Break, so I was wondering if Nick and I could drive back and see you two." Judy explained. Both Bonnie and Stu smiled.

"Of course! We would be happy to see you two again!" both of Judy's parents replied happily. Judy smiled back.

"Thank you! I'll talk to you later. I got to finish packing!" Judy said before her parents ended the call. Judy then finished backing up her belongings, and after checking in with Nick's progress (turns out he actually needed some help anyways), they were both ready to visit Judy's parents.

The drive to Bunny Burrows was somewhere between fast and slow as Flash the sloth. It wasn't all too bad, but it did get boring sometimes.

"Would you like to listen to some music?" Judy offered, turning to Nick.

"Yes, that would be fine," Nick replied before Judy turned on the radio. She had to search through it a few times until she got to a good station for songs. Suddenly, a particular song came on. It was 'Try Everything' by Gazelle.

"Oh! I love this song!" Judy said, turning the volume up. Luckily, Nick liked the song too, and they sang until it was over.

"Wahooo!" Judy cheered after singing with Nick.

"Man! I really need to get one of her songs!" Nick exclaimed, enjoying the music.

"Yeah. Too bad you don't have an I-Fur!" Judy said in reply.

"No worries. I'll just buy one later," Nick replied.

Soon, they got to Judy's home and parked the car. Judy got out and sniffed the air. The scent of carrots, vegetables, and fruit filled the air.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Judy called out. Bonnie and Stu ran out of the house, and after seeing Judy, they hugged her. Judy hugged back.

"I missed you guys so much!" Judy said before separating from the hug. Bonnie and Stu saw Nick. He waved nervously.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Hopps!" Nick said before carefully walking over to Judy's parents.

"Hi Nick, nice to see you again!" Bonnie replied kindly, shaking his hand.

"Hi Nick, welcome to our home!" Stu said casually. Nick smiled.

"Glad to see you two again!" Nick responded.

"Good. Come on in! We were just about to start dinner!" Bonnie said before everyone went inside. Bonnie went into the kitchen as Judy, Nick, and Stu sat in the living room.

"So, how was the driving? Are either of you sore?" Stu asked.

"Daaaaad!" Judy whined, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"The driving was good. And I actually do feel a little sore," Nick answered honestly.

"Well, after dinner, you two can take a nice shower!" Bonnie politely commented from the kitchen.

"Or we could always use this..." Stu said pulling out an odd device that was as big as a small journal, but the device was plastic and had some kind of zapper thing on it. Judy saw what it was and got concerned. 'Oh sweet cheese and crackers. Not THAT device!' Judy thought just looking at what her dad was holding.

"We can just use the good old Fox Taser! Good for predators, AND muscle aches!" Stu said, showing off the device. Nick's eyes widened with horror, afraid Stu would actually use it on him. 'Seriously, how on earth did any mammal get one of those crazy devices?!' Nick thought, just staring at the thing.

"Dad! Please, I know you want to help, but can you please put that thing away? You're scaring Nick!" Judy commented, afraid for Nick's safety.

"Oh come on, Jude the dude?! Just one careful zap and the aches will be gone in no time!" Stu commented.

"STU!" Bonnie cried out form the kitchen. She agreed with Judy.

"Sorry! Sorry, putting it away!" Stu said, turning the device off and walking down the hallway to put it away. Judy sighed and touched her paws to her templates.

"Nick, I am SO sorry about that. My dad can be very protective at times!" Judy explained, feeling embarrassed for herself and Nick.

"It's no problem," Nick replied feeling kind of awkward.

"Dinner is ready!" Bonnie said, getting the food on the table. Everyone sat down, and was prepared to eat. They had carrots, broccoli, fruit, bread, and blueberry pie. Yum!

Once dinner was finished, both Judy and Nick took showers, and got into their pajamas.

"So Nick, my family usually helps out around the farm every day. Want to help?" Judy asked as her and Nick sat on the couch.

"As long as I get to eat blueberries, I'm good!" Nick replied happily. The rest of the evening went good, and soon it was bedtime.

The next day, Nick helped with picking blueberries, strawberries, and other kinds of food from around the farm. After lunchtime though, Judy went to go hang out with her other siblings, while Nick hung out with Bonnie and Stu. They sat on the couch in the living room, and talked.

"Nick, thank you so much for visiting us!" Bonnie said to the fox.

"No problem. Judy and I are best friends and partners, so I don't mind!" Nick replied casually.

"Anyways Nick, Bonnie and I were thinking, and we were wondering if some other time, Judy could visit your parents?" Stu asked. Nick's face quickly went from casually, to unsure.

"Oh. I... I don't know if that's a good idea..." Nick replied.

"Why not? We could get together and go out at a restaurant or something!" Bonnie offered. Nick shook his head.

"No. I don't think that would be possible," Nick answered back.

"What? Nick, what's wrong?" Bonnie asked politely. Nick sighed.

"Mr. And Mrs. Hopps, with all due respect, my parents can't do those things... They aren't here," Nick replied.

"Okay. Well, give us their number and we can come up with something!" Stu suggested. Nick shook his head again.

"No. I mean they aren't here. They... They... passed away..." Nick said sadly. Bonnie and Stu looked at each other, then at Nick.


	3. The Confession

Chapter 3: The Confession

Bonnie and Stu couldn't believe what they heard Nick say. They just stared for a minute until they decided to comfort him.

"Oh Nick... We're so sorry!" Bonnie said placing a paw on Nick's shoulder.

"We're sorry Nick. We didn't know," Stu added.

"It's okay. They passed away when I was little..." Nick replied sadly. This shocked both Bonnie and Stu.

"Oh Nick!" Bonnie said as the fox let her hug him. He gently hugged back, and then they separated from the hug.

"Nick, if you don't mind us asking, what happened?" Stu gently asked.

"Well, it started when I wanted to join the Junior Ranger Scouts. I really wanted to fit in. So, after my mom got me a uniform, I went to the first meeting. I was so proud to be a part of a group and make friends. But... It didn't last long... T-They, they put a muzzle on me, they made fun of me just because I was a predator. So I ran home, and took the muzzle with me," Nick explained. Bonnie and Stu felt bad for Nick, but urged him to continue.

"I was sad, and afraid of what my mom would think. Would she be upset that she had spent all that money only to find out I didn't want to be in the Scouts after something like this had happened, or would she understand? It was difficult for me. After that, life just got harder. Then, my mom one day, she was in the hospital. My dad and I had to work hard for money, and then... It happened! Soon after, my dad and I just kept hanging out, being a family... then it happened to him! I only had a few friends, and I ended up selling Pawpsicles after that. That is, until I met Judy..." Nick continued saying.

"Nick..." Bonnie and Stu said, unable to say anything else. They could tell by Nick's story what had happened, and they felt terrible for him.

"After the scout incident, I learned not to let anyone get to me, and that if other mammals were going to see a fox like me as sneaky and untrustworthy, then that is what I should be. Of course, those lessons made dealing with what happened to my parents that much harder to deal with. And I don't think I've still fully accepted it now, even just talking about it..." Nick said straightforward. Bonnie and Stu had tears coming down their cheeks, and they hugged Nick as he cried a little too.

"Oh Nick, we're so sorry!" Bonnie said through her tears.

"You're welcome any time you want," Stu added through his tears. After a moment of crying, the three mammals wiped away their tears and decided to talk about positive topics.

"Hi mom, Hi dad, Hi Nick!" Judy said walking through the door several minutes later.

"Hi Judy. How was your free time with your siblings?" Bonnie asked.

"It was good. Actually, the rest of my siblings want to meet him. I told them about Nick, and they're excited!" Judy commented.

"Of course dear," Stu replied. Judy smiled, then peeked her head out the door and cried out "Okay everyone! Come and meet Nick!".

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!" hundreds of bunny voices cried out before opening the door. Nick's eyes widened as all of Judy's siblings came running into the house and piling on top of him, hugging him as they did. Once the got off of him, they couldn't stop asking questions.

"What's your favorite food?"

"Nice shirt. Where did you get it?"

"Do you like other fruits besides blueberries?"

"My I please give you a hug?"

"What's it like in Zootopia?"

"What's a Pawpsicle?"

"Why is your fur orange?"

"How did you meet Judy?"

"What kind of games do you like?"

"Is it true you're friends with a sloth?"

The questions just kept coming, after after Nick, Judy, Bonnie, and Stu calmed the kids down, Nick answered their questions one by one. Needless to say, it was kind of fun meeting and talking with Judy's siblings.

Soon, dinner was ready and everyone ate. Once that was done, most of Judy's siblings went to bed, while Nick, Judy, and Judy's parents stayed up. Nick decided to get some fresh air, so he walked out to the backyard porch and sat down. Nick sighed as he stared up at the moon.

"Mind of I join you?" a voice asked behind Nick. He turned and saw Stu behind him.

"No. Feel free to join me," Nick replied as Stu sat down next to him.

"So, what's going on? Something on your mind?" Stu asked the fox next to him.

"Yes. I appreciate talking to you and Mrs. Hopps, but I feel like telling Judy about my past just isn't enough. I want her to understand where I'm coming from!" Nick explained briefly. Stu nodded.

"I understand. You want her to be able to not only understand your past, but to understand what you've gone through in life," Stu replied back.

"Exactly. But I don't want to do something that would be disrespectful either. Or make me loose her trust," Nick added. Stu gently put a paw on Nick's shoulder, and smiled.

"Don't worry. You'll figure something out..." Stu said before taking his paw off of Nick's shoulder and walked back inside. Nick thought hard about what he could do, and eventually, thought of some ideas. He went back inside, and hung out with the rest of the family until they went to bed.


	4. Spray of Confusion

Chapter 4: Spray of Confusion

The next day, Nick and Judy said goodbye to Judy's parents, and then headed back to Zootopia. Once they got back to their own apartments, Nick and Judy unpacked their belongings. They then relaxed for the rest of the day.

The next day, Nick went to the Zootopia grocery store to buy some food, and other items. Nick decided to hang out with Judy. He called her, asking if she wanted to come over. Besides, he had thought of an idea for how to help her understand what it was like for foxes to be mistreated.

"Hi Judy, how are you doing?" Nick asked politely.

"I'm doing good, Nick. What's new?" Judy asked curiously.

"Nothing much. I was wondering if you wanted to come hang out with me tonight." Nick replied back.

"Sure. I will be over soon," Judy replied before they both said goodbye and hung up.

"Perfect!" Nick told himself, getting the meal ready. Nick knew of course that Judy didn't eat meat, so he made some meat and vegetable tacos. Luckily, he looked up a vegetarian taco recipe on his phone, which helped. After making the tacos and cleaning up, Nick took something out from his pants pocket. It was a small, gray container of "Bunny Repellent". Nick sighed.

"I'm sorry Judy. But I want you to understand..." Nick said, putting the small container into his pocket. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. Nick walked up and answered the door.

"Hi Nick! How are you?" Judy said before Nick let her inside the house.

"I'm doing good. I made us tacos," Nick replied, closing the door.

"Sweet!" Judy commented before sitting at the table. Nick joined her and they ate their dinner.

Afterwards, they sat on the couch hanging out. Nick and Judy talked for hours. That is, until Nick asked her something.

"Judy, do you still carry around that fox repellent?" Nick asked sadly. Judy's ears dropped.

"Yes. But it's not that I don't trust you! It's because my dad is very protective of me. He just wants me to be safe!" Judy said, feeling sad, knowing what Nick was getting at.

"I see," Nick replied sadly again.

"I'm sorry Nick. I'm sorry," Judy said, now understanding more about what Nick was talking about. Nick got off the couch and sighed. His back to Judy.

"You know Judy, when you almost used it on me, and I saw how scared you were, I really felt betrayed. Thank goodness we became friends again..." Nick said.

"Yeah. Thank goodness. But Nick, why are you bringing this up?" Judy replied.

"Judy, I know you almost used that fox repellent on me. But do you really know what it feels like? To get sprayed by a container just because mammals view you differently?" Nick asked.

"No. I can't imagine what that would be like!" Judy responded.

"I'm sorry Judy. But I want you to understand..." Nick said. Then, without any time to ask what he was talking about, Nick grabbed his bunny repellent spray, and sprayed Judy!

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Judy screamed, the spray hitting her eyes, making them burn. Judy covered her eyes with her paws, and screamed. Nick put the spray over on a table, and then walked up to Judy. He helped Judy to his bathroom, and helped get red of the Burning and any spray that may have damaged her eyes. Luckily, after several minutes or so, she was better.

"Nick! Why did you do that?!" Judy shouted, tears coming down her furry face as she sat down on the couch. Then, for the first time, Nick yelled at her.

"You want to know why? You want to know?! I SPRAYED YOU BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT FOXES LIKE ME HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH FOR YEARS!" Nick exclaimed, surprising Judy. Nick paced the room, then looked back at her.

"Do you know what it's like, to walk around, going about your day, and see mammals looking at you like you're going to do something bad? Or you just go about your day and get sprayed by fox repellent?" Nick exclaimed to Judy.

"N-No," Judy replied. Nick then sat next to her, and gave her a sympathetic look.

"Well, now you do. I'm sorry Judy, but I just wanted you to understand what it's like for use foxes. I'm sorry," Nick replied gently. Judy looked down, then back at Nick.

"Why? Why did you have to spray me? Couldn't you have told me in words?" Judy asked sadly.

"If I had just told you, would you be feeling the pain you feel now? The feeling of doing nothing wrong, but you get mistreated anyways?" Nick replied back. Judy thought hard, and realized what Nick was talking about.

"No, I wouldn't. I would just be imaging what you telling me, and understanding through words," Judy replied.

"I'm sorry Judy. I really am," Nick said softly.

"No worries Nick. I understand," Judy replied. She then hugged Nick and he hugged her back. He even let her spend the night, and returned her to her apartment the next day. That is, until they would hang out later.


	5. The Muzzle and Names

Chapter 5: The Muzzle and Names

After they hung out and Nick made sure she was okay, Judy drove back to her apartment. Once she opened the door, Judy put her belongings away, and went into the bathroom to double check her eyes. They were indeed okay. Judy then got her pajamas on and went to bed. Unfortunately, she couldn't fall asleep and stayed awake in thought. She thought her herself why on earth would Nick just harmed her like that? Suddenly, Nick's words echoed in her head; 'If I had told you, would you be feeling the pain you feel now? The feeling of doing nothing wrong, but you get mistreated anyways?' As Judy thought about those words, she started to realize something. Foxes and other predators didn't just have to deal with prejudice, they had to deal with animals mistreating them in other ways too.

"Oh my gosh... I never realized how bad predators got mistreated. How else do predators get mistreated?" Judy said to herself with realization. Judy quickly realized that Nick was trying to get Judy to understand how predators got mistreated. But why? Although Judy didn't understand why Nick was doing this, maybe she would learn something from this. She just hoped she wouldn't regret it.

Ring! Ring! Nick's phone rang until he answered it. Nick was planning his day, having Breakfast, so a phone call was no problem. Today's meal was sausages and cheese on a Mc muffin. Yum!

"Hello?" Nick answered, curious as to who called.

"Hi Nick, it's Judy. I know that we had a misunderstanding yesterday, and I think I understand. I thought about what you said, and whatever you are trying to teach me about predators, I'm okay with it. Maybe I'll see things in a new light," Judy explained. Nick was speechless.

"Oh... Wow. That's, ... that's very kind of you Judy. I appreciate you telling that. Want to go out for dinner again? We could order something," Nick replied.

"Sure. I'd like that. See you tonight Nick," Judy responded.

"See you later Judy, bye!" Nick said before hanging up. Suddenly, he smelt something. Burning? Oh gosh! Nick turned to look at his Breakfast!

"NO!" Nick exclaimed going over to the pan and turned the heat down. Once Nick got his breakfast, he turned everything off and ate. Luckily, the sausages were only slightly burned.

"Okay. Time to start the day," Nick told himself, heading out the door. The day was pretty much normal. Jog, check out Zootopia, make sure he had enough cash in his wallet, get a Pawpsicle, maybe check in with Fennick, the usual stuff. Nick however did have to pick something up at a store and when everything was good, he went back home. Eventually, it was dinnertime. Nick sighed as he got the item out that would be his next lesson for Judy; a muzzle for bunnies. Nick shivered at the fact that a muzzle store even existed. Ahhhh! Those things should be converted to a more friendly store, like a bookstore or a small restaurant. Still, Nick put the muzzle away, and got out some coupons for food options. Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. Nick answered it.

"Hi Nick!" Judy said as the fox greeted her. Nick smiled.

"Hi Judy, come in. I was just looking at some coupons for dinner options," Nick replied letting Judy inside. Judy walked with Nick to the kitchen.

"Okay, what do we have?" Judy asked curiously.

"We got, Herbives, Meat and Greet, Conga Limes, Small Taste, Ummmms, Furry Scales, and Eats, Barb-a-Cuepines, and Fur the Merrier. What sounds good?" Nick said, reading off the list.

"Hmmm. Fur the Merrier. Can we get that?" Judy responded.

"Sure. And your meal?" Nick said looking up the place on his phone and showing the menu.

"Oh. Tough choice. Cheese n Veggies with potatoes berries, Grilled veggies with fruit and lemon juice, or Veggie garden display. I'll take the Cheese n Veggies with potatoes and berries," Judy answered.

"Okay. What should I get? Pack a Mammal, Cherry Meaty, or Berry Meat Flower? Hmmm. Berry Meat Flower," Nick said before calling and placing his order. Once that was done, Nick and Judy drove to the restaurant to have their meal. They got to talk, and eat their meals while at the restaurant. Overall, it was a good experience. Soon, they arrived back at Nick's place, and sat on the couch.

"Nick, please know that whatever you do, I understand that you are trying to teach me about how predators get mistreated," Judy said to the fox. Nick sighed.

"Thank you Judy. And I'm sorry," Nick replied. Judy's head tilted.

"Sorry for what? You haven't - Ahhhhhhhhhh! Nick! Stop! What are you- Mmmmmmm! Mmmmm! Uh! My mouth! What is-? Ah! What is this?" Judy exclaimed as Nick jumped over her and put the muzzle on. Judy got off of Judy and looked at her. Judy tried to get the muzzle off but with little success.

"Nick! Why did you do this?! What IS this THING?!" Judy muffled with the muzzle on. Silence followed. Nick breathed heavily, and then sniffed before he started to cry.

"It's... It's..." Nick said before finishing the sentence. Instead he handed Judy a mirror. She looked at herself and gasped, quickly putting the mirror down. A muzzle. She had a muzzle on her face. She looked as Nick cried.

"Nick! Nick, calm down. I- " Judy said until she realized something. Nick was crying, she had a muzzle on. Nick's past... the scouts! Judy lay down in horror as she realized what the Scouts had done to Nick back then, and the fact that all predators probably got muzzled once in their life. Judy tried to talk but was having trouble.

"Oh my gosh!" Judy said softly as she realized how awful it would have been to have a muzzle on for no reason, except being yourself. This was TERRIBLE!

"Nick..." Judy said until he gently took the muzzle off and put it on the table.

"See why I hate those things? Those... contraptions are like a punishment for us predators, and yet we never do anything but be ourselves," Nick said plainly. Judy's eyes watered up and she hugged Nick tightly. Nick hugged back.

"OH NICK! I'M SORRY! OH MY GOOOOOOOOSH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Judy exclaimed as she hugged Nick. Nick cried as he hugged Judy.

"I'M SORRY JUDY! I'M SO SORRY! I'M SORRY!" Nick said as he cried. Judy hugged tighter as she cried out in pain.

"THAT'S AWFUL! WHY?! WHY DO THOSE THINGS EXIST?! WHY?! WHY DID THEY DO THAT TO YOU NICK?! WHY?! I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM! I HATE THEEEEEEEMMMMM! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Judy screamed as she cried in Nick's arms. Nick let Judy cry until he answered.

"Why? Because I'm a predator... and predators get muzzled, because nobody trusts us unless we have one on. As long as we have one one, prey is safe. Nobody cares about predators and the pain of a muzzle against our face..." Nick answered. Nick started crying again. Eventually, after both of them cried, they hugged for who knows how long. Once they separated from the hug, Nick also explained some words predators and foxes got called. Words like untrustworthy, tricky, savage, monster, crazy, jerks, and other words. Judy hugged Nick just thinking about those mean words. Soon, he let Judy off the couch and let her leave.

"Thank you. For showing me how bad others can be towards you," Judy said.

"You're welcome Carrots," Nick replied. Judy then went to her apartment, and went to bed. But before going to sleep, she couldn't help but think 'Poor Nick'.


End file.
